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Today was chest/back at the gym and for all intents and purposes, it was awesome. I did numerous exercises, at challenging resistance levels, with elements of agility and mobility laced throughout. But as I felt my strength go up, and saw the obvious evidence of hypertrophy [muscle growth] in the mirror, I found myself wondering, "Could I have gotten to this point in my training without supporting the muscle-crushing training sessions with muscle-building nutrition?" After all, without rebuilding broken down muscle tissue, the in-workout pump is little more than a temporary buzz from your favorite addiction: exercise.

In this post, I'll share with you my workout, and then talk about what I ate to increase the effectiveness of the iron I pumped.

Why take creatine monohydrate with it? Well that's a can of worms we don't have time to open up fully, but I'll say this: creatine monohydrate, as a performance-enhancing supplement, has decades of peer-reviewed, long-term study. Literally thousands of studies, backed by millions of testimonials. Very few supplements come remotely close to having the near-universal seal of approval that creatine has. Before the workout, I pour 5 grams directly into my mouth, and wash it down quickly with purified water. Same after. Why? Creatine degrades when placed in liquid, so I get it straight in."Why the 'workout hot sauce'?!"

Numerous reasons: hydration, thermogenic results, and small amounts of carbohydrate to compensate for the lowered blood sugar that high doses of vitamin C induce. Here's some additional reading material on the awesomeness of cayenne pepper drinks.

"Why wait for a post workout shake? Isn't sooner better?"

Not necessarily: oftentimes, the anabolic window lasts about 45-60 minutes, and it's better to let your body cool down, allowing currently available micronutrients already present in your bloodstream such as vitamin C & creatine [wink wink] to find their mark before pulling blood back to your gut for processing new macronutrients [protein shake that has to be broken into it's many essential amino acids].

So, that was a lot to pack into one blog post. Let me ask you: do you supplement? Why? What have the long term effects been? Are you happy with them? Chime in below!Stay Strong, Friends.

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